This invention relates to food containers, particularly a food container which may be disposable, and more particularly a food container which, in use, can assume two positionsxe2x80x94a first position for receiving food, etc., and a second position for enclosing the contents of the container.
Disposable food containers are well known in the art. Disposable food containers include common paper plates, bowls, clam shells, trays, etc.
The art has paid considerable attention to making, molding, and deforming these food containers out of a single plane. In this latter process a blank is provided. The blank may have radial grooves at its peripheral region. The blank is inserted between mating dyes and pressed. The radial grooves provide for accumulation of the material deformed by the dies. Exemplary art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,033,434, issued May 8, 1962 to Carson; 4,026,458, issued May 31, 1977 to Morris et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference; 4,606,496, issued Aug. 19, 1986 to Marx et al.; 4,609,140, issued Sep. 2, 1986 to van Handel et al.; 4,721,500, issued Jan. 26, 1988 to van Handel et al.; 5,230,939, issued Jul. 27, 1993 to Baum; 5,326,020, issued Jul. 5, 1994 to Cheshire et al. However, none of these attempts in the art provide a way to use the articles described therein in a configuration other than that originally provided. Typically the articles, such as food containers, are provided in a generally open configuration with sloped side walls. The sloped side walls reduce the occurrences of food spilling from the food container.
Often the user would enjoy the convenience of a food container which can be open to receive food, and to eat the food placed on or in the container. At other times, the user would appreciate a container which can cover or otherwise enclose the food. Covering the food is useful in a variety of situations. For example, if the food is to be cooked (or even heated) in a microwave oven, covering, or preferably enclosing, the food reduces splattering and controls moisture loss. The user may wish to cover the food to keep it warm during the time between cooking and eating. The user may also wish to cover the food while transporting it, as may occur when food is prepared and/or served at a first location and eaten at a second location.
One attempt in the art to provide these conveniences is to provide a clam shell. A clam shell is a container and lid hingedly connected together. The container and lid mating surfaces are preferably symmetric about the hinge line and may have a locking mechanism to hold the lid/container combination in the closed position. Clam shells are typically used in fast food restaurants for serving hamburgers, chicken nuggets, etc. However, the use of clam shells has drawbacks. For example, clam shells are typically small, approximating the size of a hamburger. If one wishes to have an entire plate of food, the clam shell would have to be sized to accommodate. This would require a food container and lid of equal size, so that the lid could cover the food. However, this arrangement represents wasted material. Typically one does not need or wish to cover the entire plate of food at once. For example, certain foods may later be added to the food container without heating. The full sized lid/container combination of the clam shell is unnecessary. Exemplary clam shells are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,439, issued Oct. 18, 1988 to Alexander; U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,476, issued Apr. 27, 1993 to Sorenson; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,989, issued Nov. 29, 1996 to Neary, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a food container which can be used in two different positions. It is further an object of this invention to provide a food container which can be used in a first open position for receiving food, and a second closed position for covering the food or remnants thereof Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide a food container which is stable in two different positions.